Hello all! We are toying around with the idea of a DANA 60 axle conversion for LX bodies. How many of you might be interested? I am not asking for a commitment, I am just looking to see the interest level. I have no details yet, except it won’t be cheap. This will require a new rear end, new driveshaft, new catback, and maybe more. What are your thoughts on this?
Now I know D60's are great axles, especially in the 4x4 world. What would be the benefit of going D60 over say a 9" for the LX guys? My reasoning for my question is in the Jeep world a D60 rear swap is far from cheap, and going 9" is rarely done for them however ends up being more cost effective from personal experience.
I guess I am too much of a MOPAR purist! I can not have a Ford part in my car. :grin: Also . . . The DANA 60 is a lot stronger.
I completely agree that the D60 is a bullet proof axle. 9" does however have a HUGE following and an aftermarket second to none and cost is often a fraction of a D60. I completely see where you are coming from to keep the car pure. It cracks me up everytime I see an fbody on a 9" and makes me want to stab myself in the eye when I see a GM motor in a ford. So I am right with you buddy. Liveaxle > IRS IMHO
I am a HUGE fan of the D44 and D60 housings, they have never let me down. EVER. Regardless of the cost it is wise to go to live axle if you are doing any form of "from a dig" racing. I am of the personal opinion that IRS is for people that was more comfort than performance. Yes you can make a mean IRS that can handle what you throw at them, but the life/cost/worthwhileness(yes I just made up a word) are not on an even scale.
Define "not cheap." We're already spending $2,000 +/- just to upgrade our halfshafts. Then you have the cost of a Quaife.... I'm sure people will beat a path to your door if you can make this work. FYI - my coilover suspension would work perfectly with a liveaxle. That would quickly resolve one issue.
2k for halfs? wow... Then I take back my cost effective comments. Considering you are getting Axles, housing, and center I would forecast this swap to be 3-4k just in the rear but well worth it.
Have you thought of modifying a Dana 44 out of a Viper? From what I've seen it seems like the Viper is closer to plug and play. Jeff
The 1st 9"Ford for the JGC SRT8 that I worked on with Western Diff (my money, their build) cost me WELL in excess of $ 10,000 which included a spare core to work with. I estimate that it would take about twice that to do the rear LX complete rear diff. correctly....special casting for mount up etc. Try buying a stock assy. from a SRT LX, not easy to find for development, unless you take your car out of service for a few months. As Jeff knows better than most, development costs are astronomical! Bill
Yes, I did look at the Viper DANA, but it would still be an IRS rear. I want a solid rear end. Just tossing around some ideas.
Egad! 10k? The most I have ever dropped into a 9" is right about 3k and is still in and running like it was new. Mind you this is in 1100 hp mustang. I say doet! Great to see such options for the LX Crowd. :grin:
This is what I was getting for my Z28. Strange sells all the parts seperately. They may be able to supply most of what is needed, maybe all of it. http://www.strangeengineering.net/newprod/2006/NewLateFBodyRearendAD1.html
Edwin, pick up the latest issue of 4Wheel and Off Road. They just happen to be talking about this issue in the 4X4 world. The Dana 60 is not much stronger and the 9" is much lighter plus it has a "3rd member" arangement. It's a much better choice for race vehicles. BuilderBill has a custom one on his. My opinion, it's superior to the 60 for our application.
Hal, not sure where you are getting your info, but there is no mention in the article about it taking more "power" or the 9" being more "paracitic" versus the dana 60. Not sure how this is even possible. We are talking about a ring gear, a pinion gear and axles. How can it require more power to turn one over the other?
